Blue Planet 2 prequel shows wildlife filmmaking at its best

The five minute Blue Planet 2 video released this week shows some stunning and inspiring wildlife filmmaking shots.

Following on from the massive success of Planet Earth II, the series has been revived 16 years after its first broadcast.

It will be released in seven episodes later this year after being four years and 125 exhibitions in the making.

Glimpses at the inspiring footage show the best of wildlife filmmaking with curious seals interacting with the camera and expansive underwater footage.

The footage also shows the importance of having the perfect soundtrack with music by Radiohead and Hans Zimmer and, of course, narration from Sir David Attenborough.

It’s good fun to speculate on how the different shots were filmed, such as the aerial footage, which could have been captured by drones above the water. Another shot from the perspective of a turtle might have been shot by attaching a camera to its back.

Some of the other stunning video is aided by underwater camera techniques, such as catching light reflected in the water. For tips on filming wildlife with 4K footage check out our handy guide.

However, we’ll have to wait and see to find out how it was made. Hopefully the BBC will broadcast a collection of behind the scenes videos like it did with Planet Earth II to give an insight into professional wildlife videography.

An example of the behind the scenes footage from Planet Earth II is this video below about filming in cities during the Holi festival of colour.

Watching great footage is a fantastic way to improve your own filmmaking skills, so make sure you keep an eye out for the release of what is sure to be another amazing series.